10/10/2002 @ 6:30PM

Build Your Own Mansion In Five Minutes Or Less

The average cost of The Most Expensive Homes In America is now $48.4 million. Given that the national median home price is somewhere between $150,000 and $160,000, many people might find it unfathomable that the very rich would be willing to spend so much on a home. However, when you add up the costs of all the individual features that such a house might contain, the prices start to make sense (in an over-the-top kind of way).

We examined the average cost of a slew of amenities found in our most expensive homes, including such billionaire must-haves as an Olympic-sized simming pool, helicopter landing pad, panic room, private golf course, movie theater and even a private lake–and we came to the conclusion that, in some cases, a $40 million price tag might actually be on the low side.

Click on the buttons below to build your own mansion (Flash 5 required).